International Migration, Undocumented Immigrants and Immigrant Entrepreneurship

The difference between documented and undocumented immigrants plays a significant role in the migration and settlement processes. Undocumented immigrants may be distinguished from their legal co-nationals by the specific roles that they play in immigrant business. First, they are business participants upon whom immigrant entrepreneurs have come to depend for dependable, cheap labor. Second, they promote immigrant businesses by boosting demand for products. They also encourage further migration by surviving as criminal entrepreneurs. Finally, undocumented immigrants are producers of business in that some launch their own entrepreneurial enterprises. Another important distinction between documented and undocumented immigrants involves personal networks. While the illegal immigrant’s network consists primarily of members of his or her ethnic community, legal immigrants depend on state and other institutions in addition to their personal networks. Networks are built on solidarity and trust; illegal immigrants, however, sometimes encounter distrust, hostility, and exploitation when dealing with network contacts. Although the illegal immigrant's lot is harsh, as the presence of unemployed undocumented immigrants indicates, it is important to note that both legal and illegal immigrants compete for jobs in countries (such as the United States) where welfare provisions are minimal. In countries with extensive welfare provisions (such as the Netherlands), few legal immigrants are relegated to demeaning, dead-end lines of work.(SAA)